Abracadabra

page 1 of 2

Summary

Saleem confesses that his story about Shiva’s death was
a blatant lie. Shiva is still alive, and Saleem says that unfinished
business remains between them. Padma proposes to Saleem, and he
accepts. The honeymoon will be in Kashmir. Saleem speculates that
perhaps Padma, with her muscles, might be able to reverse the cracks
and looming death he faces. She proposes getting married on his
thirty-first birthday, but Saleem says that death is waiting for
him that day.

Saleem returns to the story, and his discovery of Aadam
and Picture Singh. Aadam’s tuberculosis has disappeared. According
to Picture Singh, he was cured by the breast milk of a woman named Durga,
whom Picture Singh has fallen in love with. While walking past a
mirror, Saleem sees himself for the first time in months. He notices
how rapidly he has aged, as well as the expression of profound relief
on his own face. Meanwhile, his son, who still won’t speak, demands
constant attention. After Aadam voluntarily weans himself from Durga’s
breasts, Picture Singh hears of a man in Bombay who claims to be
the greatest snake charmer in the world. Determined to challenge
the man, Picture Singh sets off for Bombay with Saleem and Aadam.

When they arrive in Bombay, Saleem discovers that Bombay
has changed completely. The three go to the Midnite-Confidential
Club, a secret, underground club that caters to the cream of Bombay’s society.
A blind woman leads them to a room where they wait for the other
charmer. A light comes on, and Picture Singh’s opponent, the Maharaja
of Cooch Naheen, comes out. The two duel for a long time, their
snakes coiling and dancing, until the younger man begins to falter,
and one of Picture Singh’s snakes wraps itself around his neck.
Picture Singh collapses after his victory and is carried out. In
a back room, they are given food to eat. Saleem takes a bite of
chutney and instantly recognizes the flavor. He finds out that the
Braganze Pickle factory, located in the north of town, makes this
particular chutney. Locating the factory, Saleem walks up to the
gate and meets Padma for the first time. He asks to see the manager
and hears his name called out. He looks up and sees Mary Pereira,
the only family he has left.

Saleem recounts what had happened to Mary. She now lives
at the top of the old hill, in the mansion built by the Narlikar
women. Her room occupies the same space Saleem’s room used to occupy. Mary
owes the entire business to her sister, who convinced the Narlikar
women to invest in Mary’s chutney. Finally, Saleem’s son, Aadam,
begins to say his first word: abracadabra.

Saleem describes the pickle jars. He screws the lid on
the last one, and titles it “Abracadabra.” Saleem decides that he
will now write the future, and he describes his death. On the day
of his wedding, his body breaks and falls apart, reducing him to
600 million specks of dust.

Analysis

In order for Saleem to reach Bombay and discover Mary,
one final battle for supremacy must take place. Picture Singh, who
claims to be world’s greatest snake charmer, takes his meager savings
and travels to Bombay to assert his title. There can only be one
greatest, according to Picture Singh, and he is willing to sacrifice
everything to prove it. He succeeds in proving his skills, but only
after he literally descends into a world of darkness, and nearly
destroys himself in the process. Picture Singh’s victory is ultimately
a defeat, or a ladder that becomes a snake. Even in its final moments,
life proves to be ambiguous and full of ironies.

Also, the summary for "How Saleem Achieved Purity" is incorrect, it says that the bomb that hit the jail frees Zafar. This could be misconstrued as the book is ambiguous, simply saying that the bomb "spared him a life of captivity." However, it later confirms that Zafar was indeed among those that died (pg. 452 in the Random House 2006 edition.)

is a good website if you’re looking to get your essay written for you. You can also request things like research papers or dissertations. It’s really convenient and helpful. If you’ve got something very last-minute then it can be a little risky but either way it’s probably better than anything you can throw together .